PSALM 29 OUR GOD REIGNS

Written by , Rector of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia
 
¹ Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
² Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.
³ The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.
⁴ The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic.
⁵ The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
⁶ He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox.
⁷ The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning.
⁸ The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
⁹ The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
¹⁰ The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever.
¹¹ The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.

Who do you say God is? We must be careful here in that our answer needs to be formulated based on who God is and not who or what we think he is. The basis of our answer must be the “the glory due his name” and not how we experience God in our lives. The latter is the pagan understanding of divinity. Therefore, they worship gods identified with fertility, thunder, water, wind, fire, good or bad fortune, the sun, the moon and even the seasons.

By contrast, God is identified as the sovereign Lord of creation. As he spoke all creation into being, so too his voice is behind (or above, if you like) all the phenomena we experience. For believers, if there is a draught it is not because God is absent, but rather that he is somehow associated with the lack of rain. This means that instead of praying for someTHING we are to pray to someONE. Likewise, if there is a negative event in our lives, like a draught, we do not try to coerce, bribe or otherwise manipulate God in order to reverse the event, but we look first to the relationship and either seek to right whatever it is that might be askew or hear what God is trying to tell us.

If we acknowledge God as he is revealed in Scripture and ascribe “the glory due his name,” then we will also know the assurance that he is in charge of all things; that he is truly our strength and we will experience his peace in our lives. The passage may not be smooth, but the destination is certain.

Holy God and Sovereign Creator, may I approach every event in my life by first acknowledging who you are so that I will be ever mindful of the dominion of your will. Help me to seek a relationship with you, desire to have a greater knowledge of you and commit to live in obedience to you before I seek to receive something from you. Amen.